“I don’t have heroes and idols. There are a lot of great champions, a lot of great styles. The middleweight division: Sugar Ray Robinson, Carlos Monzon, Hagler, [Ray] Leonard, a lot of great champions with different styles. Muhammad Ali was like the king. Mike Tyson was a different style, a different time. The same as Floyd [Mayweather]: I don’t like his style, [but no one] ever beat him. Rocky Marciano was a great champion, they never beat him, just a different time,” Golovkin said.

“I don’t have idols, I respect all great champions, because sometimes I’m going to the WBC or WBA conventions, and there’s a lot of great champions. Everybody has a big story, a great story, like Evander Holyfield, Larry Holmes, [Julio Cesar] Chavez Snr, Roberto Duran. He’s great, his time was an amazing time. I remember Hagler’s time before the Leonard fight: it’s amazing. I can’t say ‘You’re great, you’re…hmm,’” he laughed. “Everyone has for 10 years an amazing time, everybody’s like brothers, they’re all great champions. This is hard work, and a hard life. Maybe 30 or 40 years these guys give to boxing: boxing life is amazing.”